dig

Query DNS servers for records and debug DNS resolution.

low risk

interactive breakdown — edit the command and press Explain
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⚠ Risks & cautions
What it does

dig (domain information groper) queries DNS servers and displays detailed responses including record type, TTL, and which server responded. The go-to tool for DNS debugging — far more informative than nslookup.

Common flags
FlagMeaning
+shortPrint only the answer, no headers
+noall +answerShow only the answer section
@serverQuery a specific DNS server
-xReverse DNS lookup
-tSpecify record type (A, AAAA, MX, TXT, NS, CNAME, SOA)
Examples
dig eknathalabs.com A +shortQuick A record lookup · explain & risk-check →
dig @8.8.8.8 eknathalabs.com TXTQuery Google DNS for TXT records · explain & risk-check →
dig -x 1.1.1.1 +shortReverse DNS: IP to hostname · explain & risk-check →
dig eknathalabs.com MX +noall +answerShow MX records cleanly · explain & risk-check →
dig +trace eknathalabs.comFull DNS resolution chain from root · explain & risk-check →
Pro tip

Use `dig +trace` to follow the full resolution path from root servers — reveals exactly which DNS server is serving stale or incorrect records during a propagation issue.

Related
host nslookup ping
Open the full explainer →More in Networking

Reference text is hand-written and may be incomplete — check man dig for your version. Test destructive commands on a non-production system first.